Our company’s rescheduled holiday celebration looms later this week, prompting a look back on 2021. While the pandemic delivered the ultimate stress test for PR agencies in 2020, it’s not like everything returned to normal in 2021. Between variants like Omicron, political turmoil — hello, Jan. 6 — and continued calls for social justice, the …more
Most IT vendors have come to realize that their websites should be more than gloried product brochures. Yet, the transition has been more evolutionary than revolutionary. Blogs that initially highlighted breakthrough vegan dishes for the cafeteria gave way to communicating perspectives on industry issues. These same blogs transitioned to thought leadership platforms that begot a …more
Checking email during the morning of February 21, I received a smattering of notes that asked me if I was OK. OK? I didn’t understand. Did they know something nefarious had yet to reach me? Then I came across a note that added the context of a flood in San Jose. Seeing the video footage …more
I enjoy studying journalism. When it comes to business communications, journalists are the masters at storytelling. Highlighting this point, I came across the following from a New York Times review on the new Richard Nixon biography last week: “The similarities between Nixon and Trump leap off the page like crickets.There is, first and most superficially, …more
Turning to the front page of The New York Times business section yesterday, I did a double take. Sitting above the fold found The New York Times taking on the story line of Amazon constructing buildings around oversized greenhouses in downtown Seattle. I wouldn’t exactly call this a puff piece, but it sure does come …more
Journalists, particularly journalists at business and mainstream publications, show the way when it comes to applying storytelling techniques to business communications. Pick out a story in media properties such as The Atlantic or The New Yorker. Reverse-engineering the content and studying the construction of the story will surface lessons that can be applied in business. …more
Since my maiden voyage to China in 1999, I’ve made 20 or so trips to the country. I learn new things every time. To call “PR in China” complex is like saying Donald Trump enjoys attention. While the words are accurate, they don’t quite capture the essence of the situation. That’s why we teamed with …more
Storytelling is the new “black” when it comes to business communications. To understand the plight of storytelling, consider the chart put together by our crack research group using Factiva to search on the number of articles containing the word “storytelling” in general and business publications. .. The data doesn’t exactly quantify the communications profession embracing …more
HP’s decision to cut along the dotted line and create two companies signals the end of an era. We supported HP’s communications efforts from 1988 to 2002 when the Compaq merger resulted in a game of musical chairs with the PR agencies … and left us standing. To this day, the experience rates as one …more
